Africa is the land of dreams and Africa is the land of memories. The dreams we dream are not movies and the memories we have are not films about ghosts. We dream not just because dreams are free to dream. We dream achievable dreams and our memories are as real as the great Kilimanjaro.
Africa is greatest and the most beloved continent on earth and the reason is because, Africa is a continent of many continents and a mother of all mothers.
Some dreams come through within a blink of an eye while some take days, weeks, months, years and even centuries. We dream not because it is fashionable to dream. We dream because that is what humans do. We dream because it is a must for us to dream.
One of America's greatest sons, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, had a dream. It was a dream that continues to save millions. One of Africa's greatest sons, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, had a similar dream and that dream saved a whole nation and millions of minds across the globe.
Not just that. One of Africa's greatest daughters, Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai, had a beautiful dream too and her dream changed entire ecosystems and the whole planet.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the founding father of the African Union and first president of Ghana, had a very beautiful dream. He dreamt of a United States of Africa. He dreamt of a continent with no barriers. He dreamt of a continent in which people, goods, services, etc. flowed freely from one corner to the next. He dreamt of a great and powerful superpower which fed an entire planet. Sadly however, he died even before he could wake up from his dream.
The late Colonel Gaddafi of Libya had a similar dream too. He also dreamt of a United States of Africa. He also dreamt of a continent which did not let outsiders decide her affairs for her. He dreamt of a continent that thought for itself. Sadly however, he got totally lost in his dreams and ended up seeing monsters.
Not just Kwame Nkrumah and Colonel Gaddafi. In fact, several people have dreamt this dream in the past. Several people are dreaming this dream now and I know several others will dream this dream tomorrow.
Do we stop dreaming because our dreams failed to realize? Of course not. In fact, the day we cease to dream is the day we cease to live.